OUR STORY
“Serving the Creator by serving His Creation.”
On the 21st night of Ramadan in 1993, Habibe Husain, a Turkish immigrant and mother of three, received the inspiration to establish a charitable organization—a system to help people in her neighborhood who were struggling to make ends meet. The aforementioned inspiration even included the name of the organization: “Rahima Foundation”, a feminine version of “Ar-Rahim”, meaning The Compassionate, The Merciful, and The Just.
Habibe intuitively knew that there were families in the Bay Area who were struggling to meet their grocery needs but were perhaps too shy to ask for help. She started helping one friend...which turned into helping two acquaintances...and soon a number of people showed up. Some of those people sought help, while others sought to help her. She began taking in their donations (a bottle of oil, a sack of rice, pasta), stocking them in her garage, packing one grocery box at a time, and delivering them to the homes of deserving families. Soon, people began offering monetary donations, so she decided to register her non-profit as a 501(c)3 Charitable and Educational Foundation. The “Rahima Foundation” was born.
Decades ago, Rahima Foundation started with just the bare essentials. Today, Rahima Foundation supports families in many crucial ways—with groceries, hot meals served at several local shelters, rental and utilities support.
We accept in-kind donations of packaged products, as well as purchase items ourselves, to be stored in our warehouse, prior to distribution to those in need.
Join us today as we continue to expand and build stronger communities. Learn more about our programs.
OUR HISTORY
1993
-Rahima Foundation is founded. We begin in the carport of our founder’s house in Saratoga, California.
-Our humble beginning: the Food Distribution Program. We collect and deliver groceries to the homes of a dozen families in need.
1996
-Rahima is officially a 501(c)(3) Charitable and Educational Foundation. Our legal name? The “Rahima International Foundation”.
-We establish the Zakat Collection and General (Sadaqa) Donation Programs.
1997
-Rahima moves! We are now in the garage of our founder’s home in San Jose, California. Registered as a 501c(3) with the IRS and the State of California, with a legal name of Rahima International Foundation
1998
-Rahima’s first rented facility! Rahima shifts operations to Bellamy Street in Santa Clara, California.
-Our first partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank begins, as we receive dry goods and fresh produce on a monthly basis.
-About 160 families are now being served, as we begin delivering groceries by van to families in Oakland.
Habibe Husain (Rahima’s founder) standing outside the Bellamy Street office
2003
-We’ve moved (again). Operations are now on Calle Del Mundo Street in Santa Clara in a 2200 sq. ft. facility with a warehouse.
-The Annual Human Dignity Day Event launches.
-We introduce the Meat Collection and Distribution Program.
-Rahima hires its first employee, a part-time Office Manager.
2006
-As we continue to serve our clients, we are honored to receive recognition from various government agencies.
Certificate presented by Barbara Boxer from the United States Senate
Certificate from Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn and Sally Lieber on behalf of California Legislature Assembly
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by a Member of Congress (not pictured: two other Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition signed by two other Members of Congress)
Certificate presented by United States Senate at the CAIR Annual Banquet
Certificate presented by Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara
2011
2014
-The ever expanding Rahima. We move operations to a larger, 6500 sq. ft. facility on Harris Way in San Jose, California. We have rented it from the South Bay Islamic Association (thank you SBIA!).
2017
-A new adventure—our very own facility! Rahima moves to Houret Ct. in Milpitas, California.
2018
-We introduce the Student Needs and Senior Engagement programs.
-Our Soup Kitchen program grows.
-We inaugurate the Wellness Program in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente and Second Harvest Food Bank.
-Rahima now has a chapter in the East Bay! We serve seniors in partnership with Open Heart Kitchen, along with serving snacks to toddlers in Livermore School District.
Certificate presented by Councilmember Dev Davis from the City of San Jose
Certificate presented by Supervisor Ken Yeager from Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Fourth District
Certificate presented by the Junior League of San Jose
2020
-Rahima sells Houret Ct. property and moves to their own larger (6700 sq. ft.) facility at 2290 Ringwood Ave, Ste A in San Jose, CA. Operations and programs continue during COVID-19.
2024
-Rahima forms a partnership with United States for UNHCR to provide help to refugees in Muslim countries that are officially a part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).